When Minho Was There • Minsung

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One thing to note about Jisung was that he didn't really care about conforming to society or its rules. Rights and wrongs, Jisung took them as mere suggestions. If he wanted to do something, he was going to do it. Whether society deemed it reasonable or not.

The mansion seemed abandoned, but then again, he could never really tell. No matter how much furniture someone buys, a mansion will always look empty.

Was it okay for him to cross the marsh? Was it okay for him to even be on the property? There were lots of signs telling him no, and there was a chance he'd be illegally trespassing, but Jisung decided: You only live once; why not take a few risks in your perfectly average life?

Jisung quickly untied his sneakers and peeled off his socks, shoving them inside his shoes. But then his eyes trailed down to his jeans. His poor, $70 vintage jeans. He tugged the waistband up a bit, making sure they rested as high as they could before rolling up the ends until his jeans fit tightly above his knees. Voila, a pair of shorts.

Then slowly, he tiptoped into the marsh water. Jisung preferred not to think about what could be swimming around in there. Did piranhas live in marshes? He hoped not.

The water felt nice against his skin, and as an added bonus, it cleared the blood that his wounds emitted. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Jisung had to admit that this was exciting. If his auntie was there, she'd be having a meltdown; she might even call a helicopter to come rescue him. He snickered at the thought.

Gradually, the water became deeper and darker, and it was harder to see where he was stepping or what he was stepping on. The water was warm against his skin; it felt like a hot spring, but for free. He looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun had begun to set. He needed to hurry up and check the place out before it got too dark.

After a few close calls—mainly Jisung screaming when he thought he touched a live animal but it turned out to be a strand of kelp—he reached the stone platforms lining the bottom of the hill. From there, he could see just how huge the mansion above him was. The mansion was surrounded by steep mountainsides, and Jisung also noticed a pier looming over the right side of the mansion.

Scary.

Still barefoot, Jisung began to walk up the platforms, which weren't as steep as he had expected them to be. They were cold to the touch and caused goosebumps to form on his arms and legs. It didn't take long for him to reach the last platform, now faced with a gate. It was his final obstacle before reaching the mansion. If it was locked, he'd done all of that for nothing.

The gate was built between two large stone pillars that skyrocketed up, much taller than Jisung.

"I wonder if anyone lives here."

Jisung touched the gate with the pad of his thumb; it felt as though it could crumble at his touch. Okay, so maybe the place is abandoned. As gently as he could, Jisung pushed the gate open. It squeaked on its hinges. It was clear it hadn't been opened in a very long time.

Still, just to be safe, Jisung called out.

"Excuse me..." He wanted to announce his presence, and in case someone did live there, he could ask them for a tour, saying it was for a school project. Maybe they used another entrance, like a back door or something. But there was no response—nothing.